The Covert Artist Discovery
by FLTTW
Summary: Stebbie (Is that a ship name now? Stuart and Debbie? Stuart x Debbie?) one-shot. I've wanted to write this for a while and I finally got around to it. I don't think anybody will really understand this, but it's late where I am so... Anyway, enjoy!


"Debbie, what are _these?_" Stuart said in awe as he leafed through pencil drawings on worn pages. They had obviously been buried and forgotten in the back of the drawer in Mrs Wolowitz's drawing table for years, maybe even decades. Some looked to be of an unknown man, some of a kid with a big nose and cornrows, some of mellow everyday objects. Whomever these were created by, they obviously has promise.

"What are what, Stew?" Debbie yelled, even though she was only a few steps away. She waddled over to where he was reclined on a desk chair, holding a frayed stack of pages in front of him.

"These drawings, did you do these?!" He held a drawing to her face. None of them contained colour, just pencil and occasionally pen. The drawing she took from his hand was of her husband, drawn shortly before he left forever. She never thought she'd see these again, and that's probably why they were stuffed away and forgotten.

"Put those in the trash bag, they're worth gornisht." He gawped at her. _She can't believe these are worth nothing. They should be in an art gallery!_ She flung the paper away as if pushing away bad memories. Stuart scrambled past her to pick the paper up. He knew that by clearing up her house he'd find something to illuminate some of her elusive past.

"No! Who drew this? It's amazing." Debbie groaned.

"Okay." She took a seat on the chair Stuart previously occupied and it creaked under her weight. "I used to draw. It was so boring; in the house all day with nothing to do but housework. When I was young, and pretty, I went to art school, where I met Howard's father. I had to drop out after that klutz got me pregnant."

"Oh, Debbs, that's so sad. You can still be a success though!" He gently rubbed her back to comfort her. She set down the stack of paper and Stuart set his on top.

"Me? I'm too old to be anything now, I can't even be a mother. My own little bubala hates me." She leaned forward, head in hands.

"Howard doesn't hate you. He loves you with all his heart, and no matter how many horrible jokes he makes and how much he likes to put you down, you'll always be his mother."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

She pulled him into a bone crushing hug, and he was frozen in shock. "Oh Stew, I love you. I don't know how I lived without you." _Someone said they loved me. She loves me. And I love her too. I do! _He was kneeling, and pulled himself closer to her, hugging closer into her warm, soft body.

"I love you too." The words tumbled out in a heavy whisper. He never imagined loving someone and being loved back to feel like this. His little grin carried so much happiness.

The moment passed, and she released him. He sat back on the floor, and it was quiet for ten minutes whist they both sorted out some more items. Stuart began to hum a tune. Debbie stopped her systematic sorting, leaning back and smiling at him.

"You know, I haven't heard that song in years."

"You know it?"

"There's gonna be a heartache tonight, the moon shinin' bright. So turn out the light, and we'll get it right." She said it without singing, like asking if that was the song he was singing.

_"There's gonna be a heartache tonight!" _Stuart sang, shimmying as if to music.

"Wait, I think I have the record."

* * *

><p>"Somebody's gonna hurt somebody!" He sung into a rolled up news paper as he danced around Debbie's bedroom.<p>

"Somebody!" She repeated, wiggling in her chair.

"Before the night is through!" Debbie laughed as he flopped on her bed.

"Somebody's gonna come undone." She spoke.

"There's nothin' we can do!" Stuart sat up to talk to Mrs Wolowitz as the music continued. "I'm so tired, we've played this song like seven times."

"You're right. Do you wanna' save this sortin' to tomorrow?"

"That seems good." He stood and stretched then turned off the record player. "Wheel of Fortune?"

"Can't think of anything betta'." She left her room to make her way down the stairs. Stuart brought the stack of drawings with him to the living room.

* * *

><p>The game show ended. Debbie was sleeping on the sofa, so Stuart used the free time to look through each one of her drawings in detail. The TV was muted for Debbie, once he realised she was out cold. He wished she wouldn't sweep her art under the rug so much.<p>

There was no signature or date on any of them. Just modest drawings on humble paper. After seeing so many drawings of one kid, he surmised that it must be Howard. _Damn, those cornrows are ugly as frick! Debster, what were you thinking?_

He went on to another drawing. One of a strange contraption with bolts and pipes and screws everywhere. No matter how much he rotated the sheet, he couldn't make any sense of it.

He jumped as he felt Debbie shift beside him an before he could look round she rotated the creation to a portrait position. "It's my yiddisher kop's crazy whackimalot he made for his school's science fair. He spent weeks on it. It's all a little fuzzy now, but I think it used something to make an airless atmosphere? You'll have to ask Howie."

"Damn." He remarked. She gently took it from his hands, smiling nostalgically at the image.

"Hey, I went to art school too."

"That's right!" She set down the drawing. "And I've never seen anything you drew."

"We could be an unstoppable drawing duo! Stebbie are on the road with pencil and pens in hand!" She slapped his arm and smiled in mock scolding.

* * *

><p>Hours later Stuart and Debbie were still in the living room. They were both scribbling frantically to see who could draw the best eye quickest.<p>

The cooking timer buzzed and they both held their drawings up.

"You win. I don't stand a chance." Stuart admitted defeat.

"I win? Look at yours! It's like a good gravy, don't kvetsh."

"Yours is much better."

"No, no. You win."

* * *

><p>"Howard, we need you to decide something!" Stuart banged on Howard's door.<p>

"Oh shiza, please don't be my mother." Howard said under his breath as he opened the door. _Oh crap._

Stuart and Howard's mother stood there, holding their drawings up. "We can't decide!" They said at the same time.

"Mom, since when do you even leave the house?!"

"I left for your wedding, now decide!" It was the most energetic Howard had heard his mother in a long time.

"Uhh... Left? Yours?"

"Ha, told you!" Stuart yelled, he bowed before scrunching up his drawing and shoving it into his pocket.

"I win?" There was the loveliest light in her eyes, Stuart thought.

"Now go." Howard slammed the door.

"You win!"

"I won something!"

"You did!"

They high-fived before heading to get a taxi back.

"You make me so happy, Stew."

"You too, Debbs."


End file.
